Common Admission Test 2011
The CAT exam is one of the most coveted MBA exams in India. Every year, over two hundred thousand students sweat it out for entry into the Indian Institutes of Management aka the IIMs. The selection ratio for an IIM is much higher than the Ivy League colleges, thus making the CAT exam one of the toughest management examinations in the world.
The CAT exam mutated to an online avatar in the year 2009. CAT is a computer based test rather than being a computer adaptive test (unlike GMAT). The paper consists of 60 standard questions, sub divided into three sections. These sections are Quantitative Aptitude, Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation and Verbal Ability. Students should note that these sections are not specifically demarcated in the actual paper itself.
Each of these sections comprises of twenty different questions with no particular time limit across different sections. A student is expected to show his competency across all the sections equally. Some of the qualities being assessed of students are stress management, quick thinking and concentration. Other facets of the exam include a two hour wait before the actual exam starts. However, this is set to change in the times ahead as CAT becomes a more accomplished exam.
However, since the inception of the new online format, there have been a lot of controversies surrounding the CAT exam. Students have criticized the paper due to many loopholes in the assessment system. Notwithstanding all this, the CAT exam continues to be a pioneer of management education in India.
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